[Told by Walter McGregor of the Sealion-town people.]
His name was Sqî′lg̣aᴀlᴀn. [671] His wife belonged to the
Seaward-sqoā′ładas, and her name was A′łg̣a-sīwa′t. They were camping at
Djiłū′.
And, when the tide was low, he went seaward. He heard some puppies
yelping. He looked for them. He could not find them. Then he began to
eat medicine. After he had eaten medicine for a while, he went seaward
again. Again he heard the puppies yelping.
After he had gone toward the place where they were yelping the yelping
sounded behind him. After he had done this for a while he found two
small pups among some stones lying in a pool of salt water. Then he
pick them up and stood up planks on edge for them around a hollow
between the roots of a tree behind the house. And he had them live
there. He hid them. He named one of them Found and the other Helper. He
fed them secretly.
When they became larger they went into the water early one morning.
They came shoreward together. They had a tomcod in their mouths. They
gave it to him. He said he had gone out to look for it very early. And
he brought it into the house.
Again they swam seaward. They brought in a red cod in their mouths.
When they started off again they brought back a halibut in their
mouths. When they became larger they brought in a piece bitten out of a
whale. All that time he said he had found the things. When he had a
quantity of food he carried the whale to his brothers-in-law [672] at
Skidegate as a gift.
They were nearly starved at Skidegate when he came and gave them what
he had. The day after he arrived he went for firewood. When he brought
it in the food was all gone. He wished to eat some salmon eggs put up
in bladders which his mother-in-law owned. She did not give them to
him. At that time he kept repeating: “I guess there will be plenty in
the dogs’ house.” Then his mother-in-law said: “I wonder what sort of
dogs have grease all over their house.” His mother-in-law was stingy.
Next day he again came in from getting wood and said the same thing as
before. And his mother-in-law again said: “I wonder what sort of dogs
have grease all over their house.”
Next day he started for Djiłū′, and his mother-in-law went with him.
After they had gone along for a while they came to a porpoise floating
about, and his mother-in-law wanted it. He paid no attention to her.
After they had gone on for a while longer, they came to a hair seal
floating about. His mother-in-law also wanted that. He paid no
attention to her.
After they had gone on for a while from there, they came to pieces
bitten out of a whale floating about. Those his mother-in-law also
wanted, and he said: “Nasty! that is my dogs’ manure.” And after they
had gone on for another space of time, they came to a jaw good on both
sides. Then he cut off two pieces from it and took them in.
Now he landed at Djiłū′, and he would let his mother-in-law eat nothing
but fat food. When his mother-in-law went down to get sea eggs he spilt
whale grease around before her upon the sea eggs. He also spilt whale
grease around in the water. He was killing his mother-in-law with
mental weariness. [673]
Then the dogs brought in two whales apiece. He (each) had one laid
between his ears and one laid near his tail.
His wife became two-faced (i.e., treacherous) to him. She discovered
that the dogs always went out at daybreak. Then she allowed urine and
blue hellebore to rot together.
One day, when the dogs were coming in together, she put hot stones into
this mixture. And, when it was boiling, she poured it into the ocean.
At once the wind raised big waves. There was no place where the dogs
could come ashore. The dogs carried some islands out to sea in trying
to scramble up them. One is called Sea-eggs, the other G̣agu′n.
Then they swam southward. He watched them from the shore. They tried to
climb ashore on the south side of the entrance of Skidegate channel.
[674] But they only made marks with their claws on the rocks instead.
They could not do it. Then they swam away. On that account they call
this place “Where-dogs-tried-to-crawl-up-and-slid-back.” Then they swam
together to the channel.[674] They lie in front of Da′x̣ua. [675] They
call them “The Dogs.” [676]
He had many whales. He filled up “Whale-creek.” He bent boxes for them,
and he put the whale grease into them. By selling these he became a
chief. [677]
Compare “The story of those who were abandoned at Stasqa′os.”